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Have you ever felt sick of getting up to bed- have your shower so early in the morning and drag yourself to your closet just to get ready for work?

Have you ever felt that the only person you have been cheating is your own self because no matter how hard you try- you’re trapped into something that you don’t want to do and it slowly kills you…

Have you ever felt that you’re close to breaking down because the only thing that really makes you happy and the very purpose of you living have been snatched out of time and you can hardly find a tick of light to make it burn…
Everyday- I felt sick, cheated and close to breaking down by just thinking that the only thing that I really love to do has, had and have been dished out in my own bare hands…

The smell of HOSPITAL premises for some may brought them into puking but this smell had been my appetizer, soup, main course and dessert all at the same time…sick people in and out of ward had been my avenue to reality that I have learned to live and love… for some hospital is the scariest place on earth next to morgue and cemetery but as for me- hospital became my comfort zone, my playground and my home (my second home…)

When I think of it, Nursing was not my 1st choice after all- I can still remember the very 1st time I have laid my eyes to nursing profession- wearing my white clinical uniform, white stockings, white shoes and white cap- it was nothing but pure white. I felt terrified, there’s nothing on my head, just a question “is this the life I want to have for the rest of my life?”....I had no answer but I believe my own experience made me answer this very question...

I love the rush, the adrenalin, the unpredictable everyday situation, toxic doctors and colleagues, the difficult patient and much difficult relatives to handle…the stethoscopes, thermometers, bandages, scissors, gloves…everything! Everything that makes me “ME”…Everything that makes me WHO I AM- a NURSE. You heard me right; I love my Profession more than anything else in this world. I can’t see myself doing anything but to be in the four corners of this white house- where people laugh and cry, new lives were born, more flesh and blood were spared and lastly another chances and opportunities were relived.

All I ever wanted was to wake up 3 am in the morning- gather up my stuffs together, go for a shower and wear my favorite attire for work- nothing fancy…just me- my scrubs and my ever comfy sneakers- with my hair all tied up…no make-up, no fancy clothes, no high heels on, no Channel, Armani and not even Prada- a pair white shoes; comfy white uniform and a perfect smile will do...

Last edit by Joe V on May 10, '11
: Reason: formatting for easier reading

Well, sometimes I feel like that.....ON A GOOD DAY! Other days, the last thing I want to do is anticipate or pay attention to someone else's needs. I can see how a hospital is a world in miniature, full to bursting with the full spectrum of life. You don't say how long you've been in nursing, but without throwing a bucket of cold water on your enthusiasm, I would caution you about burn-out. Don't expect never to get there; it bites us all in the butt at some point! Good to have passion, but it's not endlessly sustainable, so try to seek some balance in something else you enjoy, preferably not in the medical field. Contrast is good, too.Don't wake up one day feeling like this:......................OK?!?

Last edit by No Stars In My Eyes on May 8, '11
: Reason: icon printing word, not picture

Well, sometimes I feel like that.....ON A GOOD DAY! Other days, the last thing I want to do is anticipate or pay attention to someone else's needs. I can see how a hospital is a world in miniature, full to bursting with the full spectrum of life. You don't say how long you've been in nursing, but without throwing a bucket of cold water on your enthusiasm, I would caution you about burn-out. Don't expect never to get there; it bites us all in the butt at some point! Good to have passion, but it's not endlessly sustainable, so try to seek some balance in something else you enjoy, preferably not in the medical field. Contrast is good, too.Don't wake up one day feeling like this:......................OK?!?

Hmmm. Not playing Devil's Advocate here (well, I am, but being nice about it):

Actually, I see it as quite the opposite. I don't see hospitals as a miniature world in and of itself bursting with life, and especially not the "full spectrum of life". In contrast, I see it as a special and unique experience that is minute compared to life in general.

When I was a new nurse, for some reason, I read an awful lot of books geared towards preparing one for "The dreaded first year of nursing". They all at one point or another said something about avoiding burn out. They all also, although some more directly than others, drew a line between burnout and OUR PERSONAL LIVES, not our work practices.

Point I walked away with, and still preach today is: Have a full life outside of work, because you will need it. We need to remember there are places out there, EVERYWHERE, in which there is not constant beeping and people screaming (patients and co-workers alike) "I want this, I want that, Ohhhhhh, why do I have to wait, I want it now.", and other lovely things that go on 24/7 at the hospital.

I find burn out catches me when:
1. I'm not keeping up with my hobbies/activities on off days. The more productive I am on off days, the less going back to work bothers me.

2. I'm doing OT. I even had a thread up that was loosely about this. I started off talking about non-team players who never help out when there are schedule/shortage problems. Came to find out, I was only half right. On the flip side of my arguement was the fact that I was burning myself out playing hero all the time. I'm a better nurse when I don't do, or do a minimum of OT.

Basically, if you want the simple "jest" of what I'm say, its this: Don't let being in the hospital seem like its "The world". Too many patients are that way, being in the hospital is their whole world, and they aren't happy. Let work/hospital life be only a niche in your life.

i have been a nurse for 25 years
it is good money in a recession
go in with a positive attitude and go for the patients
and youll WIN every day
but ya
its all a jokle
we dont need pi;lls
the answer to cancer is here already
red reishii mushrooms

quit buying into the crap
but what can we do
we live in north america?

Nursing is a great profession..there are so many avenues that you can go down.....But remember...your are a caring person, someone who wants to make a difference in another's world and that can be done anywhere. There will come a time when you will realize that you can make a difference outside of the nursing profession, and not have to deal with all the suffering, pain, crisis. You'll get there...there is life after you leave "patient care"....and you can make a difference anywhere.